Material collecting and conveying system



April 5, 1932. R. H. MOORE 1,852,535

MATERIAL COLLECTING AND CONVEYING SYSTEM Filed April 16. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I April 5, 1932.

R. H. MOORE MATERIAL COLLECTING AND couvm me SYSTEM Filed April 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /c 02a all 7' 6/ Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFECE RAYMOND H. MOORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MATERIAL COLLECTING AND CONVEYING SYSTEM Application filed April 16,

My invention relates to material collecting and conveying systems, and particularly to floor sweep systems as used in grain elevators and the like.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an eflicient automatic means for conveying and disposing of floor dust and sweepings.

Another object of my invention is to prsystem requiring a minimum of power for operation.

Another object of the invention is to arrange for the automatic operation of the ap paratus and to make unnecessary the action of an attendant in causing operation.

A further object of the invention is to prevent clogging of the apparatus with the material being handled.

Referring in general to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective sectional elevation of one hopper and conveying ducts;

Fig. 2 is a plan of a section of the system showing three hoppers; and

l i 3 is an end elevation of the hopper and ducts partly in section.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, 1 is the floor, 2 a grated opening therein, 3 a converging hopper for receiving sweepings or other material. A trap valve a mounted on shaft 5 closes the lower opening in hopper 3 and opens into a compartment 5 which has an orifice 7 openin into conveying duct This duct is open to the atmosphere at one end 9 and communicates at the other end 10 with conveying header 11. A member 12 is located. in duct 8 below the opening 7 to receive the material falling from compartment (3. Dampers 13 and 14 are mounted in ducts 8 and 11 respectively, on a shaft 15. Trap valve alis balanced on shaft 5 by a count-en weight 16, so that counterweight 16 exerts a greater closing pressure on trap valve 4 when it is in closed position than when it is in open position. Cranks 17 and 18 are mounted on shafts 5 and 15, respectively, and are connected by link 19. Conveying header 11 is under reduced pressure from a fan (not shown) connected at 20.

In operation, sweepings or material is de- 1926. Serial No. 102,334.

posited into hopper 3 through opening 2. l Vhen a sufficient amount has collected to overbalance counterweight 16 trap valve 4 will open and drop material through opening 1 into compartment 6, wherethe side pressure of material is suiiioient to maintain trap valve at in open position against the closing pressure of counterweight 16 as counterweight 16 has been raised to a position approaching a vertical line through its axis of rotation, shaft 5.

Rotation of shaft 5 by valve 4 through link 19 and cranks 17 and 18, causes rotation of shaft 15, which opens damper 13 and closes damper 14. [is conveying header 11 is under reduced pressure, the opening of valve 13 subjects duct 8 to an unbalanced pressure condition so that air is drawn into open end 9 of duct 8 and passes over and under member 12. The closing of valve 14 diverts the entire suction action of conveying header 11 to duct 8. The material which has dropped into compartment 6 through trap valve l will pass through opening 7 to member 12 where. it will pile up until it closes opening 7 so that no more material can pass down onto member 12 except as material is removed from the pile on member 12, thus preventing the material clogging duct 8. As the air is drawn through duct 8 from open end 9, it will convey material from the pile under opening 7 along member 12 to its end where the material will be dropped into the blast of air entering duct 8 under member 12, and will be carried into exhaust header 11 and to aseparating device (not shown) where the material will be separated from the air and deposited and the air will pass to the fan.

Valve 1 and dampers 13 and 14 are then restored to normal position by counterweight 16, the entire. operation being automatic.

It Will thus be seen that the discharging operation of a given hopper will close damper 14, thus shutting oil the exhaust to all hoppers farther from the fan. This makes the full exhaust available for the operating hopper, insuring a swift and effective removal of the material deposited therein. As a. consequence a much smaller motor is reveying system of the same number of charging points. Any number of hoppers may be employed, the number even being 1ncreased after the original installation without increasing the motor size because of the independent operation as described.

It is understood that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In an automatic conveyor, a hopper having a trap valve, an exhaust pipe having a damper, an exhaust header having a damper and connected to said exhaust pipe and means for actuating said valve and dampers as a unit.

2. In an automatic conveyor, a hopper, an exhaust pipe, an automatic trap valve connecting the same, an exhaust header connecting with said pipe, dampers in said pipe and header and means for actuating said dampers when said valve is automatically operated.

3. In an automatic conveyor feed, in combination, a converging hopper, a counterbalanced trap valve in said convergence, an eX- haust pipe, openings in said exhaust pipe for admitting dust from said hopper and air, an exhaust header in communication with said exhaust pipe, said header and exhaust pipe having dampers operable by said trap valve whereby the damper in the header is closed, and the damper in the exhaust pipe is opened when the trap valve is opened and vice versa.

4. In automatic conveyor feeds, in combination, an exhaust header having a plurality of openings connecting with exhaust pipes, each of said pipes having means for admitting dust from a hopper and air, a plurality of dampers disposed between the openings in said header and in the exhaust pipes and means for closing dampers in said header when dampers in said exhaust pipes are opened, and vice versa.

5. In an automatic conveyor feed, the combination with an exhaust pipe, an exhaust header and a hopper, of a counterbalanced trap valve in the hopper, a damper in said header, a damper in said exhaust pipe, and interconnecting means whereby the damper in the header is closed and the damper in the exhaust pipe is opened when the said trap valve is automatically opened, and vice versa.

6. In an automatic conveyor feed, in combination, a converging hopper having a trap valve in said convergence and opening into an exhaust pipe, an exhaust header communicating with said exhaust pipe, dampers in said exhaust pipe and header, respectively, and means cooperating with said trap valve and dampers whereby material automatically opens the trap valve and exhaust pipe damper and closes the exhaust header damper.

7. Apparatus of the class specified comprising a plurality of hoppers for receiving material to be collected, and a pneumatic collecting system comprising a main trunk running to said devices and-having branch conduits connecting .same with said hoppers, an air valve in the main trunk adjacent each branch conduit, an air valve in each branch conduit, a trap valve in each hopper arranged to automatically operate when a quantity of material has been accumulated, said air valves and said trap valves being interconnected for simultaneous operation.

8. In an apparatus of the character described including dumping hop.pers, the combination of a plurality of pipes, a header having a plurality of openings, each communicating with one of said pipes, a plurality or dampers in theheader, onebetween each of said openings therein and another damper in each ofthe pipes for controlling same, said dumping hoppers each having tiieir discharge openings communicating with one of said pipes and means for automatically operating the said dampers when the hoppers are dumped.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of'a pi pe, a header having an opening communicating with said pipe, a damper in the header adjacent the opening, and a damper in the pipe for controlling same, a material-collecting hopper having a discharge opening communicating with said pipe, means fordum-pin'g said hopper, a longitudinal support in said pipe to receive the material discharge from thehopper for preventing the clogging of the pipe, and means whereby the dumping of said hopper automatically opens the pipe damper and closes the header damper.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a-pipe, a header having an opening communicating with said pipe, a damper in the header adjacent the opening and a damper in the pipe for'controlling same, a material collecting hopper having a discharge opening communicating with said pipe, means for dumping said hopper and means whereby the dumping of said hopper automatically opens the pipe damper and closes the header damper.

In witness whereof, I-hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of March, A. D.

- RAYMOND H. MOORE. 

